(don't) Flip This Bike!

[Roady]

Just winter storage for a neighbor's '83 1100 Aspencade.

[Oldewing]

Nice place that shop is. Real good guy running around those parts

[Roady]

The big dreamplan is to build an actual 15'x15'x8' room in that corner. It will come out to where the blue tarp is hanging. Double doors in front, sealed off from dust, insulated, B&W checkerboard floor, heat (and cool), bright lighting, cool posters, tools organized ... some day.

[robin1731]

The big dreamplan is to build an actual 15'x15'x8' room in that corner. It will come out to where the blue tarp is hanging. Double doors in front, sealed off from dust, insulated, B&W checkerboard floor, heat (and cool), bright lighting, cool posters, tools organized ... some day.

Room for a real lift table too.

[sunnbobb]

Nice man!

[Roady]

Last Thursday I mounted up a set of tip-over bars that were donated to me by the JonesBoyz. That was a chore! The pipes had to be completely removed to fit the bars and juggling the pipes, bars and squash gaskets would have been much easier if I had another arm and hand. (Robin gave me a tip on putting a couple dabs of RTV on the gaskets to hold them in place ... wish I'd have thought of that at the time.)

I got out for a decent "first ride" of Spring yesterday. It was nearly 60º and overcast with a 20 MPH wind out of the South. We did 100 miles to breakfast with Retro in Pana. She sounds better, those 3x used squash gaskets should have been replaced 2x ago!

The bars add a bit of clutter to the front of the engine but altogether not too bad. And I'm liking the protection factor and the fact that I can now lay my prone-to-cramp right leg up to get relief. Thanks to RAT and Oldewing.

[Fred Camper]

Looks great to me. Nice compromise.

[Roady]

Temps in the low 70's yesterday so Retro and I got in our first day ride of the season. We rode to Champaign to meet up with his buddy, Retro (Aaron) and drool over the '70 CB750 that his Dad bought new in Feb. '70. It was parked for 30 years and he has been rehabbing and riding it for a few years now. I was so busy gawking at it that I forgot to get a pic but he'll be at the PigOut and we'll all have a chance to check it out then.

I put on the sidecover that came from Richard ... wrong year, so it's not Muse Red but the striping is very good and the color is closer than the one I painted. I'll go ahead and transfer my badges and let this issue rest. I don't think that "normal folk" will even notice the color difference.



After leaving Retro's place, our first stop was Mowequa (yes, that a real place) so he could gas up. I met a cool, old Harley guy and we shared stories about old Wings. He hardly even directed my attention to his sweet H-D.

Then it was on to Dalton City where we stopped for a cig across from Stoney's restaurant and Harley's Hideout. A nice young man rolled his wheelchair out of Harley's as soon as we rode up. He went on and on about how cool the Honda boxer engine is but didn't know what kind of bike I was on. Guess I better get those badges on.



After our short meetup with Rocket in Champaign we backtracked to Monticello and stopped into the Main St. Pub for lunch. I had a huge, 1/2 lb. burger that has to be in the top 5 of all burgers. Charbroiled, juicy and dripping with Bleu Cheese. Urrrp!



Then we stopped just outside of Monticello at Allerton Park. It's the former, ostentatious estate of Robert Allerton that he bequeathed to U of I. There are lots of red brick structures with weird statues scattered around the house, gatehouse and the grounds. Things like a centaur out in the woods and nymphs and s#!t. Retro led me up a dirt path and onto the gravel walkway around the house. Dunno if that was allowed and no one mentioned anything, and hey, I was just following him.

He waited patiently while I walked around the lake ...



... and got a shot of the "house" in the reflecting pool.



Here's an example of the weird statuary, a pair of female sphinxes (sphinxi?) protecting the reflecting pool.



I left the house and 9 am and got home at 8 pm with 275 new miles on the clock. A beautiful day for a memorable ride. It feels like Spring has finally sprung on us.

(But, the color of that sidecover is still buggin' me. I can even tell the difference from across the lake! BTW ... is anal retentive hyphenated or not?)

[Rat]

I think in your case it has TWO hyphens !

Gord (but it doesn't match) Jones

[polkadot]

Yes it is hypenated, and I ought to know. Sounds like a great day. Have fun at the Pig out, and remember to have one for me Roadster!

PS, The side cover has to go!

[ericheath]

You are anal retentive......predicate noun no hyphen. You are an anal-retentive grammar freak..... predicate adjective---hyphen. Nice bike and nice pics. Snow here again this morning. Getting real old. I wonder if Mark Welna is still planning on the Pig-out festivities. Minneapolis is supposed to get snow again.

[Roady]

Mark confirmed his attendance. You oughta tag along, too. (Notice the punctuation?)

Thank you so much for clearing up the spelling my affliction.

[ericheath]

I am six hours north of Mark. I debated it, but it's probably a 12 hour ride, no stops and I have to be back Monday. It's also still too cold here for this wuss. I hope I can make one of the gatherings this summer. Have a blast.

[Lefty]

Roady would you recommend the windshield that you have on your bike? What brand is it?

Thanks for sharing the nice photos.

Mac from Durango CO

[Pooch]

Nice pad that Allerton guy had. I've got those same case guards, I prefer the tight curvy ones (talkin bikes here, but had ya thinkin ), but that style of guard is pretty strong and holds the bike up if it goes over in soft asphalt ( I know). +1 on the side cover color